The St. Louis Chapter of Jack and Jill of America’s bi-annual Legislative Summit was modified to give teens an outlet to discuss the death of one of their peers – Michael Brown. Brown, 18, was unarmed when he was fatally shot by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson. His death has become part of national – and now global – discourse about racial profiling, police brutality, and militarized police tactics.
Jack and Jill of America is a membership organization of mothers with children ages two – 19 years old – dedicated to providing youth with social, cultural, and educational opportunities. “Feeling Ferguson” was held on Sunday, Nov. 9 at Washington University’s School of Law.
Karen Taylor-Liggins, local chapter legislative chair, said the summit was a part of the organization’s national legislative initiative to promote civic leadership among youth. The summit is an opportunity to engage the community and elected officials in frank discussions about legislative issues impacting African-American families.
“This year with everything that has been going on in our city,” Tayolor-Liggins said, “we wanted them to talk and process their thoughts around what’s happened in Ferguson.”
The summit featured a panel discussion with elected officials who have been on the frontlines in Ferguson during the nearly 100 days of protests throughout region. Panelists included Ferguson City Council member Dwayne T. James, state Senator Maria Chappelle-Nadal, St. Louis Alderman Antonio French, and Missouri State Highway Patrol Capt. Ron Johnson. They addressed an audience of about 100, comprised mostly of teens and mothers associated with the organization.
Panelists were asked whether or not they thought events transpiring in Ferguson were moments of pride or shame for the region. State Senator Maria Chappelle-Nadal said it was both, referring to unlikely alliances as moments of pride.
“There are gang members who have stopped their rivalries to join the Michael Brown movement,” Chappelle-Nadal said. “That is a wonderful opportunity to show that people can change their lives for something positive.”
However, she said there are those who have shown their “true colors” and prefer not to be as “forward-thinking.” She finds the amount of hatred some people have in their hearts as shameful and said encounters like these were opportunities to educate the community. She pointed to infringements on First Amendment Rights during protests as moments of shame and encouraged teens to take pride in being American citizens by embracing the U.S. Constitution.
“It’s not just for people who are Caucasian,” she said. “It’s for you, too.”
Panelists were asked what their initial thoughts were as protests unfolded in Ferguson. Sitting next to Capt. Johnson on the panel was Sierra Irby-Smith, a Canfield Green Apartments resident where Brown was killed on Aug. 9. The summit was a part of the organization’s national legislative initiative.
“I was happy that people were voicing their opinions,” she said of protests. “However, I was not for the tear gassing.”
Irby-Smith spoke of an instance where she and her two small children were overwhelmed by tear gas inside their apartment – and ultimately forced to vacate. She moved three weeks ago for the sake of her two small children – who she said have been traumatized by ongoing events. She had lived at Canfield Green for seven years.
Dwayne T. James, the only African American serving on Ferguson’s City Council, said it was unfortunate that it took someone dying for a region to “wake up” and begin to publicly engage in conservations once reserved for the “kitchen table,” he said. For black mothers, Brown’s death symbolized a time to have “the talk” with their children regarding proper interactions with the police.
“The shameful part is that this happened in my community under my watch,” James said.
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